The Tracks Of My T/A

The Gray family take their Trans Am out for a bit of a spin... around Brands Hatch.

- Dave Smith

As autumn slides into winter, you might think that the motor sport season is finished and all the tracks are silent apart from the tap-tap of local residents emailing more noise complaints and the stealthy click of a developer's theodolite as he does a bit of preemptive surveying. Not so. Track days never sleep. They certainly don't stop for a bit of rain, although some of the participants might, which means that there are some bargain winter track days to be had.

As it happens, December 1st was clear, dry and sunny, although it was rather chilly and that morning's sharp frost hung on in the shadows all day. This was perfect for the guys who I'd come to see: the Auto Pontiac team of Robin Gray and sons Tom and Ollie. They were out for a spot of testing, plus a lot of fun, as a treat for Ollie's forthcoming birthday saw him getting a bit of seat time. The car has become something of a superstar in its own right over the years – there aren't many second-gen Trans Ams in historic motor sports over here, and just search out some YouTube videos of it to see what a following it has!